A tenuous existence
by Daniel Pedersen on Sep.16, 2009, under Battles, Burma reportage, Northern Thailand, People, The Karen
Remnant population of KNU Seventh Brigade struggle on
MIZZIMA
Mae Sot, ThailandSeptember 16, 2009
Despite their tough living conditions the children at the orphanage aren’t unhappy – they simply forge on.
Individual donors are starting to assist new refugees at Safe Haven Orphanage.
About 200 people have gathered on the grounds of Safe Haven, many of whom are children.
They fled Karen State, finally giving up their shaky hold on homes constantly in danger of attack, during an offensive by the Burma Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.
The DKBA and Burma Army troops seemed determined to displace the majority of people living in the Seventh Brigade region, suspecting them of supporting Karen National Liberation Army soldiers somehow.
A child yet to be registered squats in the rain in July, after the main offensive thrust by soldiers of the DKBA and SPDC. A cluster of about 200 people found their way to the grounds of Safe Haven Orphanage after the attacks.
But much of the KNLA guerilla force left the area before the enemy arrived.
They left landmines behind them however, and many of the DKBA dead and wounded, which both numbered in the hundreds according to the KNU, fell foul of these booby traps.
But left in limbo were the civilians who lost their homes.
With no shelter at the height of the rainy season they trod up and down mountains, finally crossing the Moei River to relative safety in Thailand.
For now they are allowed to stay where they are, but the chances of establishing a new camp for between 5,000 and 6,000 people displaced is almost nil, because nowhere is secure along the border.
“Gloria”, biological mother to eight children with one on the way and the guardian of another two adopted kids, teaches a small class at Safe Haven.
DKBA are camped not far from Safe Haven, just over the other side of the river in view of anyone from the Thai side.
For now they have not attacked the camp and donors are providing the necessities of life, but mostly things that can be carried so all is not lost in the event of an attack.
More help is needed, mosquito nets and sleeping mats are most important.
Money is urgently needed to buy food and essential items for basic living.
This is an open appeal to anyone who can afford to help these people, victims of an ongoing campaign of genocide to force them from their home country.
ENDS
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"Secret Genocide is a scholarly book on the plight of the Karen of Burma. Author Daniel Pedersen writes about the secret genocide of the Karen people at the hands of the Burmese junta, who use murder, rape, forced labour and torture to quell their enemies. Decades after the Karen took up arms against Rangoon; there is no telling when - or if - their struggle for a secure homeland will finally be accomplished"
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Secret Genocide by publisher Maverick House. >>> Read prologue.
